The Secret Crown

by Chris Kuzneski

  Jones whispered. ‘Did you see Hauser’s face? The guy was scared – almost as though I’d handed him a ransom note. If this receipt says “give me your money” in Bavarian, we’re fucked.’

  Payne shook his head. ‘That wasn’t fear. That was anxiety. He’s nervous about something. For the time being, I think it would be best if we spread out in the store.’

  ‘Why’s that?’ Ulster wondered.

  ‘If he comes back with a shotgun, I don’t want to be an easy target.’

  ‘Are you serious?’

  Payne shrugged half-heartedly. ‘Kind of, but not really. It’s obvious we’ve stumbled onto something important. Until we know what that is, I think it’s best if we take precautions.’

  ‘Like what?’ Heidi asked.

  ‘Like spreading out in the store.’

  Jones moved first, grabbing a defensive position near the front door, while Heidi and Ulster went to opposite corners. Meanwhile, Payne stood off to the right where he had a clear view of the entire room. From there, he could see everything and control the action.

  Five minutes later, Hauser emerged from the back. Although his hands were weapon-free, he was armed with a question – one that would determine what happened next. He spotted Payne off to the side and walked in his direction, sensing he was the leader of this group. Hauser stopped a few feet in front of him and lowered his voice to a whisper.

  ‘My father,’ he said, ‘is nearly a hundred years old. During his lifetime, he has suffered through two world wars and the death of his entire generation. In the last decade, he has buried the love of his life and two of my sisters, so the man has endured far more than most. Because of that, I’m willing to respect his wishes – even in situations that I don’t fully understand.’

  Payne stared at Hauser, trying to figure out where this was going. ‘What does any of that have to do with us?’

  ‘I spoke to my father about the receipt, and, well, to be perfectly honest, he got upset.’

  ‘Upset?’

  Hauser nodded. ‘He said he didn’t have the strength to talk to you. Unless …’

  ‘Unless, what?’

  ‘Unless you can answer a question.’

  Intrigued by the whispering, Ulster crept closer. ‘What’s the question?’

  Hauser sighed. ‘That’s the thing. It isn’t even a question. It’s more like a statement that you’re supposed to finish. If you finish it correctly, my father will speak to you. If not, I’m supposed to escort you from the store.’

  Ulster welcomed the challenge. ‘Such fun! What’s the statement?’

  ‘Yeah,’ Heidi said as she approached, ‘what’s the statement?’

  Hauser took a deep breath, then whispered the words his father had told him to say. ‘He who holds the key …’

  The group answered in unison. ‘Gets to wear the crown.’

  Hauser blinked a few times, stunned. ‘That’s correct. How did you … ?’ His voice trailed off as he thought about the past few years with his father. They had been more than difficult. ‘Do you know what? It doesn’t even matter. I’m just glad someone knew what he was talking about. He’s been babbling about your receipt for ever. Until today, I thought maybe it was a figment of his imagination. I’m thrilled to know it wasn’t.’

  Payne cut to the chase. ‘Does this mean we can talk to him?’

  Hauser answered cryptically. ‘Not only that, it means you get to open the case.’

  ‘What case?’ Jones demanded.

  Hauser smiled. ‘You’ll find out soon enough.’

  70

  Hauser led the group into the stockroom at the rear of the store. To their right was a walk-in vault that protected the most valuable merchandise at Hauser & Sons and any currency that had been collected during the course of the week. To their left was a small office filled with a desk, chair, computer, printer and three filing cabinets. Everything was simple and clean.

  ‘Where’s your father?’ Payne asked as his eyes darted from side to side, looking for danger. While he walked, he kept his hand near his gun. ‘I thought he was back here.’

  Hauser glanced over his shoulder. ‘He’s in his workshop, which is in the rear corner of the building. We put it back there so the noise wouldn’t disturb the customers.’

  Jones whispered. ‘If he’s chained up and making sneakers, we’re going to set him free.’

  Hauser didn’t hear the joke. ‘I wanted him to retire years ago, but he says work is the only thing keeping him going. If that’s the case, he can stay here as long as he wants.’

  Heidi asked, ‘What kind of work?’

  ‘Jewellery design and repair. Despite his age, he still has the hands of a surgeon. Unfortunately, his eyes are a different story.’

  They walked down a hallway and came upon a well-lit repair shop where an old man was sitting on a metal stool, hunched over a counter. Dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of dark pants held up by braces, he stared through a high-powered magnification lamp that allowed him to see the necklace clasp he was working on. He was also wearing a thick pair of glasses attached to a black cord hanging round his neck.

  Without turning his head, he sensed the group’s approach and calmly laid down his tools. After all this time, someone had finally come to claim the item. It was a moment his family had been waiting for since 1886. Although his role had been small over the years, he was honoured to be a part of the conclusion and thrilled to share the moment with his son. With a great effort, he swivelled on his seat until he faced the doorway. He wanted to get a good look at the group that had found the receipt and answered his question correctly.

  ‘Please come in,’ he said with a thick Bavarian accent. ‘I apologize for not coming to greet you, but as my son surely mentioned, my mobility is poor.’

  Payne smiled warmly. ‘If anything, we’re the ones who should apologize for showing up unannounced. I’m sorry if we’ve inconvenienced you in any way.’

  Appreciative of the sentiment, the old man stuck out his hand and formally introduced himself. ‘My name is Alexander. It is a pleasure to meet you.’

  ‘The pleasure is ours,’ Payne said as they shook hands. ‘My name is Jon.’

  Jones followed his lead. ‘I’m David.’

  ‘I’m Heidi.’

  Ulster went last. ‘And I’m Petr.’

  Strangely, Ulster’s handshake lasted longer than all the others combined. After a few uncomfortable seconds, Ulster tried to release his hand from the old man’s grip, but Hauser held tight, his yellow fingernails digging into Ulster’s skin. Everyone, including Hauser’s son, was confused by the development. The old man finally blinked and released his grasp.

  ‘I am sorry,’ he said, obviously embarrassed. ‘It’s just, well, I saw …’

  With empathy in his eyes, Ulster looked at Hauser and tried to figure out what had just happened. For a split-second or two, it seemed as if the old man had gone somewhere else in his mind. ‘You saw, what?’

  He swallowed hard and tried to explain. ‘As a jeweller, I could not help but notice the ring on your finger. With your permission, may I take a closer look?’

  Ulster stared at his right hand. The gold ring was a permanent fixture. Not only because of its personal significance, but also because of his weight gain over the years. ‘Unfortunately, I’m unable to remove the ring. My fingers are a tad too plump.’

  ‘That is fine,’ he assured him. ‘I can work round that.’

  With some effort, Hauser picked up the magnification lamp. It was attached to a manoeuvrable spring arm and clamped to the counter. As everyone watched closely, he slowly pulled the powerful lens towards Ulster’s hand and adjusted the settings on the light so he could get a better look at the family crest on the ring. When the image – an eagle with a sword in one talon and a scroll in the other – came into view, the old man gasped in recognition. He hadn’t seen the coat of arms in more than sixty years.

  ‘Are you an Ulster?’ the old man asked.


  He was taken aback. ‘Yes, sir. My name is Petr Ulster.’

  ‘And your grandfather, what was his name?’

  ‘Conrad. Conrad Ulster.’

  The old man trembled slightly. A few seconds passed before he lifted his eyes to meet Ulster’s gaze. For the first time, everyone noticed that the old man had started to cry. ‘Then it has come full circle.’

  Hauser’s son rushed forward. ‘Papa, what is wrong?’

  The old man shook his head for several seconds. When he finally spoke, his voice quivered with emotion. ‘Nothing is wrong, my son. Everything is right. The right people have come for the case. Please retrieve it from the vault.’

  His son nodded, and moved away to fulfil the request.

  Meanwhile, the old man slowly regained his composure. First, he wiped away his tears with his sleeve, then he pointed to a stack of folding chairs in the corner of the room. After years of being hunched over a counter, his spine was so curved he had trouble lifting his head.

  ‘Please take a seat. I’d like to look at you while we talk.’

  As they carried their chairs across the room, Friedrich Hauser returned from the vault with a plain, wooden crate. It was nondescript in every way. He set it gently on the floor next to his father’s stool, then he took a chair for himself. From this point forward, he was like everyone else; he wanted to know what was going on, because he too had no idea what was about to be unveiled.

  Hauser cleared his throat. ‘By now, all of you must think I am a crazy old man. I assure you I am not. My body might be failing, but my mind is still sharp. As for my tears, they came from an unexpected source. I have always known that someone would come for the case. I have been prepared for that for half of my life. What I didn’t know was who. At my age, nothing in the world surprises me. I have lived too long and seen too much to ever be astonished. Nevertheless, I was caught off guard by your ring.’

  Ulster pointed at his finger. ‘My ring?’

  Hauser nodded. ‘I have not seen it for decades. But, even with failing eyes, I recognized it at once. An artist always remembers his art.’

  Ulster quickly connected the dots. ‘You made my ring?’

  ‘I did indeed. I carved the crest myself.’

  ‘I don’t understand. This was my grandfather’s ring.’

  ‘Yes,’ Hauser confirmed, ‘it belonged to your grandfather, but I was the one who made it. My father gave it to him after the war as a token of our thanks.’

  ‘Thanks? Thanks for what?’

  ‘For everything,’ Hauser explained. ‘For hiding our jewels during the war. For keeping his word when others had lied. For protecting the case from Nazi hands. Your grandfather was an amazing man. Without him, the item would have been lost for ever.’

  Payne heard the words and breathed a sigh of relief. Only two days had passed since he had called Ulster and told him about the bunker in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. At the time, the discovery of Ulster’s coat of arms on a crate of missing artwork had been potentially devastating. It had threatened to stain Ulster’s name and tear apart everything the Archives represented. But after hearing Hauser’s heartfelt speech, he knew the Ulster legacy was safe.

  Alexander Hauser patted Ulster on his shoulder. ‘Your grandfather was a hero.’

  Ulster beamed with pride. ‘I guess he was.’

  The old man waved his finger. ‘There is no guessing about it. Conrad Ulster was a hero. He saved countless treasures across Europe, then returned them to the rightful owners. If not for him, this store and many others never would have reopened. That is why my family gave him the ring. And that is why I’m glad you’ve come for the case.’

  71

  Payne stared at the wooden crate on the floor next to Hauser’s stool. Nothing about it seemed special. It was made of wood and looked eerily similar to the crates found inside the hidden bunker. As far as he could tell, the main difference was its size. It was about two feet in width, length and height. Certainly not large enough to hold an enormous treasure.

  ‘Sir,’ Payne said, ‘you keep mentioning the item. Can you tell us about its history?’

  Hauser paused in thought, trying to decide where he should start a narrative that had been going strong for more than a hundred years. After a while, he posed a question to the group. ‘Tell me, are you familiar with Nostradamus?’

  Payne and Jones exchanged knowing glances. Both of them were quite familiar with the sixteenth-century French prophet, renowned for his ability to see the future. Less than a year ago, they had discovered one of his lost manuscripts, and it had nearly got them killed.

  Ulster answered for the group. ‘Yes, sir.’

  ‘And what about his connection to Ludwig?’

  Heidi shook her head. ‘That’s news to me.’

  ‘Me, too,’ Ulster added.

  Hauser smiled. ‘Then that is where we shall begin – way back in 1864 when Ludwig was still a prince and his father was slowly dying.’

  The group leaned forward, not wanting to miss a single word.

  ‘King Maximilian the Second summoned his son to his bedside and warned him of a prophecy that he believed foretold the death of Ludwig. Though it did not appear in his book Les Propheties, the quatrain has long been attributed to Nostradamus, a man who has influenced many a king across Europe and many a man across time.’

  Ulster interrupted him. ‘What was the prophecy?’

  The old man answered in fluent French.

  Quand le Vendredi Saint tombera sur le jour de Saint George,

  Pâques sur le jour de Saint Marc,

  Et la Fête Dieu sur le jour de Saint Jean,

  Tout le monde pleurera.

  From personal experience, Ulster knew that Payne and Jones weren’t language experts, so he translated the verse into English.

  When Good Friday falls on Saint George’s Day,

  Easter on Saint Mark’s Day,

  And Corpus Christi on Saint John’s Day,

  All the world will weep.

  The group pondered the quatrain for several seconds, trying to decipher its meaning. Even though Ludwig’s name wasn’t mentioned, they knew the verse could have been written about his death. Or not. That was the problem with most of Nostradamus’s prophecies; they could be interpreted in a number of different ways. Of course, that was also part of their allure.

  Heidi spoke first. ‘Have those events ever occurred in the same year?’

  ‘It’s happened once. The year was 1886.’

  She grinned. ‘The year Ludwig was murdered.’

  Hauser nodded. ‘For two decades, Ludwig feared the approach of 1886 like a sailor watching an approaching storm. In his heart, he knew he wouldn’t survive that ill-fated year no matter what he did. Somehow that gave him the courage to finish his dream of creating a kingdom across the sea. Ironically, it was his pursuit of that dream that ultimately got him killed.’

  Ulster frowned at the irony. ‘His cabinet found out?’

  Hauser nodded again. ‘First Ludwig was arrested, then they silenced him for ever. The Bavarian government proclaimed its innocence in the whole affair, but I know the truth. Everyone who was living in Munich back then knows what happened. They murdered our king.’

  Jones did the maths in his head. ‘Wait. You’re not that old … are you?’

  The old man laughed. ‘Sometimes I feel like I am, but all of this occurred three decades before I was born. It was my grandfather, not me, who lived during Ludwig’s reign. When I was a young man, he told me about Ludwig’s life, and death, so I could pass the story on to future generations. It had a great impact coming from my grandfather, since he actually knew the king.’

  Heidi stared in amazement. She was talking to someone who had second-hand knowledge about Ludwig. ‘Your grandfather knew him?’

  Hauser nodded. ‘They worked together. Over a period of six months, they met more than a dozen times to discuss the item’s design. I’m sure you have heard rumours about Ludwig’s controlling manner. According to
my grandfather, the rumours were quite accurate. Everything had to be perfect. Then again, for something this important, I can understand why.’

  Payne didn’t want to be rude, but his curiosity was starting to get the best of him. The crate was sitting on the floor, a mere five feet away, yet he didn’t know what was inside. ‘Sir, you keep mentioning the item and talking about its importance, but none of us know what it is. If it’s okay with you, we’d love to know what’s inside the crate. It might help us understand.’

  The old man smiled sheepishly. The item had been in his family for so long, he was having trouble letting go. Still, he knew it had to be done. Tears filled his eyes as he thought about the three men – his father, his grandfather and Conrad Ulster – who had protected the item before him. Selfishly, he wanted his son to be a part of the process, even if his duty was symbolic in nature. ‘Friedrich, it is time. Please remove the item and hand it to Petr. After all these years, that only seems fitting. The item is being passed from our family to yours.’

  His son picked up the crate and placed it on a counter behind him. The lid had been nailed shut, so it would take a moment to pry it off. While he worked, his father filled the silence.

  ‘If you look past his quirks and all the rumours, Ludwig was nothing more than an idealist. It was the main reason he tried to leave Bavaria. He wanted the opportunity to create a perfect kingdom, one that he would be proud of. Some rulers would have started with a code of laws or a new system of government, but Ludwig was bored by bureaucracy. Instead, he focused his attention on the arts, for that was the one thing he was passionate about.’

  The crate creaked behind him as his son worked on the lid.

  ‘Ludwig started with the basics, several years before his death. First, he designed his country’s flag, which featured an image he had drawn himself: an elaborate black swan. Then he contacted Richard Wagner, his favourite composer, and asked him to create a national anthem. Before long, Ludwig had hired Christian Jank and Eduard Riedel, the men responsible for Neuschwanstein, to design the most spectacular castle the world had ever seen. If that wasn’t difficult enough, they were asked to design it with no knowledge of the building site. Ultimately, by the time Ludwig acquired the land, both builders were approaching death.’